Sen. Durbin visits DuPage County to learn about Enroll DuPage

Mon February 10, 2014

Sen. Dick Durbin visited the DuPage County Health Department's North Public Health Center in Addison on Feb. 7 to learn more about Enroll DuPage, an initiative created to educate residents about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and provide them assistance with the enrollment process.

The Health Department has embraced ACA as a means to educate uninsured DuPage County residents about health insurance and then went a step further by helping residents enroll in health plans that fit their needs and budget. "Our goal is creating a culture of coverage that leads to wellness and healthier families," said Karen Ayala, Executive Director of the Health Department.

State and federal grants were awarded to the Health Department to help reach uninsured individuals. The Health Department took those funds and made grants to 13 community partners to help with education and actual enrollment. Grant money was also used to publicize ACA throughout the community and to train staff in order to be able to enroll clients in Medicaid or in the Marketplace.

With the challenging implementation surrounding ACA, Enroll DuPage has a goal of bringing simplicity to the enrollment process. A variety of marketing strategies were utilized to afford everyone in DuPage County the opportunity for education and assistance with enrollment. A call center was implemented to help make in-person appointments at locations throughout DuPage County. Health Department staff was educated about ACA and a team of ACA Ambassadors blanketed the county providing residents the opportunity to attend a community presentation about ACA. Health Department client benefiting specialists were trained to enroll residents at DCHD Public Health Centers.

For more information on Enroll DuPage, visit enrollduapge.org, follow us on Twitter @DuPageHD or become a fan on Facebook. ###